Manned offshore rigs are required to have access to evacuation at all times so that in an emergency, people working on a rig may be quickly and safely evacuated. Evacuation may be direct by means of helicopters if possible. Alternatively, people may be evacuated by vehicles to move them away from the emergency or hazard at the offshore rig to a safe location where they and the vehicle may be picked up by a rescue vessel.
For offshore rigs in waters that may be ice-infested for parts of a year or on a permanent basis, such as in the Arctic region or the Caspian Sea, a vehicle may be required to move through open water, partly ice-covered water, ice, snow and/or land. Currently, vehicles in use for evacuation comprise conventional life boats or life rescue craft such as the Seascape LRC or totally enclosed motor propelled survival craft (TEMPSC). These vehicles are unable to break ice and cannot be manoeuvred effectively in water with more than 40% ice cover.
An amphibious vehicle such as the Arktos™ uses tracks for land movement while water propulsion jets provide thrust for movement through water. However, safety issues have arisen over use of the Arktos™ due to a capsize during a test as well as concerns that have been raised over instability of the Arktos™ when moving partly on ice.